The Trail
Volume 15, Issue 2 December 2022
Rutgers University- Department of Human Ecology
Volume 15, Issue 2 December 2022
Rutgers University- Department of Human Ecology
In the book Ecofeminism, authors and activists Maria Miles and Vandana Shiva explore the intersection of environmental degradation and the marginalization of women ’ s role in society. Within this work, parallels are drawn linking the relationship between men and women, and humans and the environment. Resources the Earth provides us are largely externalized by the market clean water, shade, filtration, clean air, fertile soil, just to name a few. Similarly, historically gendered work draws a bright line between valuable services and unvalued services on the basis of gender. In consideration of the validity of the ecofeminist paradigm, it is critical to acknowledge essentialist claims about womanhood. There is no intrinsic reality shared by women. Furthermore, in place of the narrow definition of womanhood, it may be useful to reconsider colonial co-optation of femininity and masculinity as alternative to potentially essentialist claims. Nonetheless, “ecofeminism remains one of the most promising movements within radical environmental thought” (Archambault, 1993). Considering what we value and why we do socially, ecologically and economically; allows us to identify how our political system shapes our perception.
Under a free-market political system which predominantly values work historically performed by men; the brunt of public health crises, economic disparities, political conflicts, environmental degradation and the like all disproportionately affect disadvantaged populations namely people historically subjugated in the name of development. The pursuit of growth, narrowly and exclusively defined by maximization of production, disadvantages all not aligned with this definition namely indigenous people, Black people, people of color, and women. Ahistorical narratives of the colonial project; notably in the dichotomy between “developing” and “developed” nations, disembed the current global division of labor from its colonial roots. In violently imposing capitalism, what could be commodified was to be dominated socially and ecologically.
From the disruption and devaluation of historically gendered work to the co-optation of ecological relations in the name of abundance, human-ecological relations have been separated in the name of development. As outlined in Ecofeminism, in this process all commodities, fictitious or not, are reduced to value and non-value. Work which does not produce tangible value is denigrated. Furthermore, for the system of capitalism to sustain itself, it must continually reproduce vast inequalities; “the prevailing world market system, oriented towards unending growth and profit, cannot be maintained unless it can exploit external and internal colonies: nature, women and other people” (Mies,, 1993). In sum, “the marginalization of women and the destruction of biodiversity go hand in hand” (Miles & Shiva, 1993).
"Indigenous women, Black women, women from low-income communities, and women from the Global South bear an even heavier burden from the impacts of climate change because of the historic and continuing impacts of colonialism, racism and inequality; and in many cases, because they are more reliant upon natural resources for their survival and/or live in areas that have poor infrastructure” Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network, International (WECAN, 2018).
Women are at the forefront of the global industrial labor force. In particular, the textile and agricultural industry is plagued by inequity perpetrated by the Global North onto the Global South. Basic principles of beneficence for working conditions are relinquished for growth at all costs which the affluent Western consumer is intentionally shielded from. The most recent report conducted by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization reports that “the majority of economically active women in the least-developed countries work in agriculture” (FAO, 2011). Women in agriculture face gender specific roadblocks including limited access to credit, training, education, and diminished land rights (Duckett, 2019).
Moving forward, we must recognize gross human injustices committed against women especially in the Global South in the name of development. The United States labor industry externalizes the cost of doing business with lax international labor standards, disproportionately harming women. Businesses must first and foremost internalize the cost of operations by raising wages and labor standards, in the United States and abroad. Ultimately, to support ethical business practices, wages must rise for consumers of goods manufactured
overseas. Wealth must be redistributed from large corporations back to the general public. This requires radical policy change, beginning with stakeholder engagement. One of the most effective ways to be engaged is through being an active participant in your community dialogue. For change to occur at the global scale, small changes have to be made incrementally.
COP27, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, brings stakeholders to address the topics of mitigation, adaptation, finance, and collaboration The conference attempts to bring “governments, the private sector, and civil society” together to help transform the planet and “alleviate the adverse impacts of climate change” (COP27, 2022) The conference had multiple different talks and negotiations, covering topics from capacitybuilding under the convention, matters relating to the least developed countries, and gender and climate change (United Nations Climate Change, 2022).
unesco.org/en/climate-change/cop27 (UNESCO, n.d.)
There was a large group of younger people at this year ' s conference in Egypt These younger voices are a powerful force that many people believe will be the biggest influence in shifting climate change policy. One of the young activists is Vanessa Nakate from Uganda. Vanessa came to the conference to speak with G20 nations. In her speech, Vanessa asked the G20 leaders to stop funding fossil fuels. She used persuasive language to call attention, asking them if they ‘will be on the right side of history”, and if they won’t, they should at least be honest with their citizens (Rannard, 2022; Mahieddine, 2022) The voices of these younger generations are critical as the need for action increases with increasing climate-related disasters. Their ability to call on national leaders and create strikes and protests makes their voices bigger It helps push those in political power to be environmentally conscious when making decisions.
The conference has also been hit with a lot of criticism from young people. Famously known, Greta Thunberg has even refused to go to the “Sharm elSheikh meeting” (Rannard,2022). She said that it was a forum for ‘greenwashing’”(Rannard, 2022). Greta stated this because many of the big sponsors for the event are the least sustainable and have the biggest stakes in determining the environment's future. Companies like Coca-Cola are sponsoring a green event but are one of the biggest plastic-polluting companies in the world (Krishna, 2022). Many are angered by this and feel that it is impossible for us to implement sustainability if the companies we allow to fund these events do not embed sustainability practices in their companies. Is the way that COP27 is funded the best way? Or must we look at our past and stop giving credit to companies that have stated that they will take action but have not done so?
COP27 has also been hit with criticism about the lack of women that were included in the negotiation processes. Women participation in countries' delegations has decreased from 40% in 2018 to 35% in 2022 (Stallard, 2022). The amount of males among leaders does not allow for proper UN Sustainability goals to be achieved. Countries were supposed to have increased their women participation in these talks. If they did, they have also seemingly increased their male participation to a point where women participation is still far from 50% of the total conference, even though women make up a larger percentage of the world's population.
We must ask ourselves if this is the best way to increase sustainability. Using companies that don't promote sustainability practices to fund our conventions makes them seem more sustainable for doing very little. By forgetting the importance of women leaders and by not helping promote the inclusion of more women in the policymaking process, we are also allowing ourselves to accept sustainability standards that don’t reflect our goals. As we continue to use these conferences to boost climate change policy, we must keep a close eye on our UN sustainability goals and make sure the choices that go into planning the convention coincide with these goals.
the following statistic: 80 percent of the world’s remaining biodiversity is on Indigenous land. These areas of thriving biodiversity are massively contrasted by deforested and depleted centers of industrial development in which we reside. There has been growing recognition of the connection between protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples and environmental conservation. While non-Indigenous people may have a loose idea of why indigenous cultures value protection of natural resources, many lack a deeper understanding as these perspectives are not typically taught to us. What makes indigenous knowledge of the natural world imperative to understanding how to protect it? The key to appreciating these linkages lies in recognizing the millennia that indigenous people had lived in a particular region before it was settled by outsiders. For example, some regions in the United States are thought to have been inhabited by the same indigenous groups for 20,000 years before Europeans arrived. Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for anywhere between 50,000 and 120,000 year. These time frames are difficult to fathom, especially when compared to the mere 246 years that the United States has existed. They comprise hundreds of generations and the accumulation and transfer of knowledge. The sheer fact that people have subsisted on the same land for so long attests to their intelligent and sustainable use of resources. This endurance is a result of their deep respect and
patience for the Earth.
Today, the knowledge that has been passed down for thousands of years is known as Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), and intertwines culture, nature, and spirituality. Though it varies greatly across groups of people, the overarching belief seems to be that the Earth, a living being herself, is made up of spirits and has needs just as humans do. Humans’ extraction of natural resources must be balanced with Earth’s needs because the Earth provides for us. Often, TEK embodies the idea that all living and nonliving things have spirits and are worthy of respect, which contrasts with the western view that nature exists separately from us. Here are a few examples of Indigenous knowledge of nature near home and abroad. The people indigenous to New Jersey before European arrival were primarily the Lenape. Their views of nature are expressed through ceremonies in which the powers of nature are personified, representing things like the sun, thunder, and animals. The Earth is called “”Our Mother,” because it carries and nurtures the people having been assigned that duty by the Creator” (Harrington, 1921, p. 28). The Lenape also recognize spirits that protect the Earth without embodying it. For example, Mesingw is the Mask Spirit of the Lenape, and protects the balance of nature. For most of their history, all of this knowledge has been passed down solely through oral communication.
If we remove ourselves from New Jersey and travel northeast to Nova Scotia, Canada, we will find the home of the Mi'Kmaq people. The late Mi’Kmaq woman named Muin’iskw left writings detailing Mi’Kmaq views of the world. She wrote “the most sacred life form is the Earth herself. Earth is alive, and she is a spirit…She is our sacred Earth Mother, the one who nurtures us, provides for us, and protects us. We should treat her with respect, compassion and gentleness…Respect is the highest principle” (Muin’iskw, 1998). To exploit the Earth’s bounty, she says, goes against their spiritual beliefs. Only in recent years have non-Indigenous people recognized the importance of TEK in environmental protection on a large scale. It has been discussed on the international stage including at UN conventions. If we all continue living our current lifestyles, people embodying this intuitive respect for the Earth will remain in the minority, and the consequences will be catastrophic. Muin’iskw once wrote, “TEK is just a basic form of knowledge which anyone can acquire through observing and experiencing their environment over time” (Muin’iskw, 1998). The more we listen to those who have subsisted off of local land for millenia, the more we come to appreciate all that the land needs of us.
In high school, students are expected to commit to an area of study for their college experience w Year Interest Group Semina aid freshmen with the tra experienced undergraduat ide first-year students with ends. Rutgers is a very large ystem in New Jersey. The s Additionally, Rutgers offer new students, especially tho developed to inform studen opportunities. First-Year Int s to freshmen and supportin nvironmental Policy and A ly successful throughout th Kendall Soto Behavior and minoring in P . Kendall was the Peer Ins Seminar for freshmen during the Fall 2022 semester. The course is not limited to freshmen in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, but is available to students of all majors that have an interest in environmental policy. Kendall is the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) representative and Sustainability Subcommittee Chair for the Rutgers University Student Assembly (RUSA), as well as the representative for RUSA on the Student Advisory Board for the Rutgers Office of Climate Action. She is also involved with the Climate Reality Chapter at Rutgers, where she is the Outreach Committee Chair.
During the period of every FIGS class, the Peer Instructor composes a panel of fellow experienced students at Rutgers for the first-years to ask questions. Kendall’s panel included undergraduate students studying the topics of Environmental Science, Public Policy, Sustainability, Public Health, Environmental Policy, Institutions and Behavior and Supply Chain Management. I was present on Kendall’s panel, and I was able to witness firsthand the students’ excitement to ask us questions on a personal level. The well-rounded panel further widened their perspective of the possible majors options available at Rutgers and allowed them to visualize if a student’s experiences line up with their goals. The students found that they could “rely on” the upperclassmen to create more connections with the various communities on campus. They were also informed of student organizations, internship and research opportunities and on-campus employment positions. When asked how Kendall’s FirstYear Interest Group Seminar made the first-years feel for next semester, they responded that they felt “reassured”, “supported”, “comfortable”, “prepared”, “confident” and “knowledgeable.”
For all incoming freshmen at Rutgers University, I highly recommend that you take a First-Year Interest Seminar. Every Peer Instructor is selected carefully because of their academic success and involvement at Rutgers. First-Year Interest Group Seminars are a great opportunity to receive a credit towards your graduation, make friends with similar interests as you and will ultimately prepare you for your academic and professional career.
What did you try to achieve in your FIGS class, specifically in relation to the topic of Environmental Policy, Institutions, and Behaviors?
What did you try to achieve in your FIGS class, specifically in relation to the topic of Environmental Policy, Institutions, and Behaviors?
“I wanted to empower students to feel comfortable welcoming the Rutgers community and their resources for support when challenges in environmental activism, career development and their personal life arise. The Office for Career Exploration and Success provided me with four pivotal elements to guide my class teachings, including personal wellness, academic success, and diversity and inclusion. I had such an inspiring experience facilitating conversations about the intersectional relationship of environmentalism and key lessons so important for first-year students.”
- Kendall Soto, Peer InstructorMajor - Environmental Policy, Institutions, and Behavior
Cement is the second-most-used substance in the world after water and cement production is responsible for about 7% of annual global carbon emissions. It is used for plastering, masonry, piping, flooring, roofing, for beams, pillars, stairs, bridges, dams, tunnels, lighthouses, wells, water tanks, lamp posts, houses, roads, and more. The list of uses for cement is never-ending. Cement is the main ingredient in concrete. Over 70% of the world’s population lives in a concrete structure, and that percentage will only grow. As the population increases, there is a need for new infrastructure, which only increases the demand for cement.
Conventional Portland cement involves heating limestone, which causes a large chunk of cement’s emissions (Drawdown). When the limestone, clay and other materials are fired in a kiln, the process releases carbon dioxide. According to the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, each pound of concrete releases 0.93 pounds of carbon dioxide. This is a significant amount considering that the annual global consumption of concrete is 33 billion tons. It is imperative that the cement and concrete industries are decarbonized for sustainable development. Using alternative clinker in the making of cement would reduce 7.7-15.56 gigatons of carbon dioxide if implemented from 2020 to 2050. Clinker is the nodular material made after heating the limestone and clay in the kiln. Clinker is ground and then mixed with gypsum and water to make cement paste. The average global rate of clinker substitution could realistically reach 40% and avoid up to 440 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually (Drawdown). The solution is two tiered:
Replace limestone clinker, which is the main ingredient used to make cement. Limestone would be replaced by substances like “volcanic ash, certain clays, finely ground limestone, ground bottle glass, and industrial waste products- namely blast furnace slag (from manufacturing iron) and fly ash (from burning coal)” (Gartner, Suib).
Reduce the energy intensity by “reducing the thermal and electricity intensity of clinker production by upgrading cement kilns to modern day standards, such as the use of pre-calciners and dry-kiln technologies” (Drawdown).
https://wwwnrdcorg/experts/sasha-stashwick/cut-carbonand-toxic-pollution-make-cement-clean-and-green
Implementation of these solutions would initially cost the United States net $61.38 billion, according to the Drawdown Report. There are many companies and startups already producing alternative cement through technological innovations. Some innovations include ashcrete, blast furnace slag concrete, micro silica cement substitution, papercrete/fibrous concrete, ferrock, rammed earth blocks, straw bale blocks, timbercrete and hempcrete. Concrete can also be produced from concrete debris, post-consumer glass, plastic waste, and composite materials.
Rutgers University researchers are working with a company called Solidia which produces cement by curing it with CO2 instead of water (a form of carbon sequestration) and by using less energy. As a result of CO2 curing, Solidia concrete is cured in less than 24 hours, as opposed to the 28 days required for traditional concrete.This solution saves time, money, and water. It also both emits less carbon dioxide from the heating process and traps away carbon dioxide from the curing process.While Solidia altered the formula of concrete, other companies have been altering the chemical composition of concrete (Sridharan).
NJ Bill S287, also known as NJ Bill A2234, provides corporation business tax (CBT) and gross income tax credits for certain deliveries of low carbon concrete. It also provides this for costs of conducting environmental product declaration analyses of low carbon concrete This bill would incentivize the use of low carbon concrete in New Jersey. The bill has passed the NJ Senate, but has not yet become a law. Support the bill by writing to your State Legislators and Assemblypersons, according to your legislative district. https://www solidiatech com/
Climate change has been a trending topic, both globally and in the United States. Every year we are witnessing more and more of its effects on our health, economy, and society. A population that is being affected greatly is the Latino population in the United States. At first glance, it is quite surprising that Latinos are one of the biggest advocates for climate change in the United States. More Hispanics than white Americans recognize that humans are the root cause of global warming in recent times, and advocate more for policies that support the environment. Climate change hits Latinos at heart because the effects of it are disproportionately felt. More than half of Latinos in the United States live in the three states where the effects of climate change are being felt the hardest. The three states are California, Florida, and Texas. California is experiencing extended periods of droughts, Florida is experiencing a great amount of flooding and sea level rise, and Texas is going through extremely high temperatures.
Climate change has also hit Hispanics in the economic sector. A lot of Hispanics work in agriculturally based jobs. In a study conducted by UC Davis, around 10 thousand agricultural workers lost their livelihood due to the drought of 2015 in California. About 46 percent of construction workers in the United States are made up of Latinos who are greatly affected by heat waves caused by global warming. A report by the NRDC found that Hispanics are three times more likely to die from heat exhaustion than non-Hispanic workers. This led to higher prices which impacted Latino’s financial situation even greater. Latinos in the US find it difficult to access quality healthcare which is a big reason why they support environmental health. An unfortunate political issue that Hispanics face is that many are undocumented and do not receive aid after extreme weather disasters. This is a huge reason why Hispanics are concerned with the effects of climate change on local communities. Latinos are also optimistic that addressing climate change can lead to better and clean jobs. The Latino population would prefer to work in developing green infrastructure rather than continuing to work in the fossil fuel industry. There is a belief in the Latino community that environmental progress can also improve economic stability for their local communities and the whole country. This would address job security and improvement in air and water quality which will lead to a decrease in reliance on healthcare.
In a study by Nuestro Futuro, 9 out of 10 Latinos call for climate action. The study also emphasizes that nearly 45 percent of Latinos in the United States are at a high risk of ozone pollution that causes asthma attacks, and lung cancer. While both Hispanic and non-Hispanic children have the condition of asthma, Hispanic kids are nearly ¾ more times than non-Hispanic kids to be sent to the hospital because of asthma attacks. An even greater problem is that Hispanic kids are two times more likely to die from an asthma attack than nonHispanic kids.
While a majority of Latinos favor climate action plans to combat climate change, there are portions of Latinos who are not as alarmed by the effects of climate change. There is a correlation between Latinos and their political party in their views of climate change affecting them. It was found that 8/10 Latinos who align with the Democratic party view climate change as an issue affecting their local communities. Only 52 percent of Latino Republicans view climate change as an issue affecting their local communities. This difference in views in the Latino community can be pivotal in environmental progress among them.
As a population that is greatly affected by the effects of climate change, the Latino community can become a powerful force in creating policies to mitigate the effects of climate change. It is imperative that the community can advocate for an environment that improves their health and allows for jobs to be performed without the risk of heat exhaustion. As the environment improves, Latinos will feel less of the effects of climate change in their local communities. One thing is certain: if climate change is not addressed in the near future, Latinos in the United States will be severely impacted by the effects of rising sea levels, extreme temperatures, and droughts that will undoubtedly harm their health and financial stability.
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